Curtain fixture center support



Nov. 17, 1931. J. H. BOYE CURTAIN FIXTURE CENTER SUPPORT Filed April 30, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l Q lilllllllllli Nov. 17, 1931; J. H. BOYE 1,832,086

CURTAIN FIXTURE CENTER SUII PORT Filed April 30, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 10 jnvew ljc lmes I17 B036 q C wv mvz S Fatented Nov. 17, 193i n 'rso stares Parser *rriee JAMES H. BOYE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASS IGNOR TO JAMES H. BOYE BIANTJ'FAOTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS CURTAIN FIXTURE CENTER SUPPORT Application filed A ril 30,

This invention pertains to what are known as center supports for long curtain rods that span a very wide window or two or more windows and require one or more intermediate supports to prevent sagging of the rod or rods. heretofore center supports for such curtain fixtures have been made special for each type of rod used in the fixture; that is, a romid rod having a round rod seat, a square rod,a square rod seat, a flat rod, a flat rod'seat, and so forth. This involves a large number of parts, and is inconvenient to the dealer selling curtain fixtures because of requiring him to carry in stock so many different sizes and shapes of center supports, and confusion and mistakes in the filling of orders frequently occur.

One object of my present invention is to provide what might aptly be termed a universal center support; that is, a center support adaptable to many diiiferent sizes and shapes or curtain poles and rods,and that will support the rod at bottom, front and rear. 7 1 q Modern curtain fixtures often include two parallel rodsan inner rod to suspend what is known as the glass curtain (that is, a curtain that lies next to the window), and an outer rod to suspend an outer curtain or drapes. Heretotore, so far as I am aware, center brackets for such multiple rod fixtures have been formed with apair of rod seats, hooks or other rod supports spaced a fixed distance from each other, although extensible brackets by which the distance of both rod supports from the window frame or casing might be'varied are known, as, for example, in my prior Patent No. 1,518,2e5, granted -December 9, 1924:. But users or this type of fixture often desire to space the inner and outer rods at different distances from the window frame and from each other, and heretofore this has been accomplished only by providing a large number of center brackets 01" varying lengths wherein the rod supports were spaced at different distances from each other. Another object of my present invention has been to provide a multiple rod center bracket that would be universal in the above noted respect, and thus greatly reduce 1931. Serial No. 533,957. I

the number of difierently sized brackets required to be made and carried in stock to meet thedemands of thetrade.

A still further object oi'the invention has been to provide a center bracket of such construction that, by simply inverting the shank member which is attached to the top bar of the window frame, the rod support of the bracketmay be located higher or lower relatively tothe top of the window, the inverting 60 of the shank member not involving any inversion or the rod seat or support. 7

htill other objects and'attendant advantages of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art from the following 66 detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which 1 have illustrated one practical and'elticient embodiment of the principle of the invention, and wherein Fig. 1 is a top plan view, broken out, of a multiple rod curtain fixtureemploying my improved center support, and illustrating one spacing of the outer and inner rods relatively to each other andto the window frame. 7

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a diii'erent relative spacing of the outer and inner rods and window frame.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view on the line 83 of Fig. 1.

F igmi is an enlarged cross sectional View. on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

y Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are enlarged cross sectional views similar to Fig. 4, illustrating the adaptability of the center support to various forms .85 and sizes of outer curtainrod other than the flat type shown in Fig. 4:.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged cross sectional view, similar to Fig. 4, showing the shank member of the center supportinverted relatively to 9 Fig. 4. p

Fg. 9 is an enlarged top plan view of the center support as the same appears in Fig. 1. i p

Fig. 10 isv a cross sectional detail on the line. 1010,of Fig. 9.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates the end bracket fixtures, the form or style of which may be varied tosuit the particular form or style of the outer rod. hese end -9 I have shown, in Fig. 3, end brackets adapted for the seatin of an'outer rodll of the well D known fiat type;

12 designates the inner or glass curtain rod which is also shown of the flat type formed with elbow ends 13 that telescope'over brack ets 14 attached tothe upper member 15' of the window frame, whereby the rod 12 has alimited adjustment toward and from the window frame.

.Describing now my improved center sup port,this'comprises a bracket which,in the preferred form of the inventionbest lllUS* trated in Figs. to "9 inclusive-, ':nn'p1'isesa shank member 16 and an arml? mounted" on and having a sliding engagement with the shank member 16. This shankmember, in-

tlie preferred form illustrated, consists" of a I, V fijat strlpformed wlth an integral rectanguany extended attachment plate IS-apertirred. for fastening screws 19 and having lnturned marginal: li'ps'or flanges QOthat constitutea guide and slideway for the arm 17.- Thestr-ip 1'6-is forine'd with acentral longitudinal slot 21 openingthrough itsouter'endfor a purpose later disclosed.

' T he arm' 17 is'formed at it's forward end with a depending support or seat for the outerrodi' This rod seat, designated as an entirety by 22, preferably hasthecr'oss sectional form and structure illustrated'in-Fi'gs. 4;to81inclusive. In. general, it comprises a bottom wall a rear wall 2% anda front wall-25that flares outwardly at its upper endi The'rear portion of the bottomwall 23carries a low step26, while the rear wall-24: is formed with an inclined offset 27. As best shown-in Figs; 9 and 10,the bottom and rear wallsof the seat are formedwith a continuouslongi tudinal slot 28,and themet al cut from said slot is bent into a tongue or prong 29 having substantially the form shown in Figs.to 10 inclusive. The'ar-m 17 and'rod seat' 22 are made of relatively soft or ductile metal, and

the rear portion of-the tongue or prong 29 is preferably narrowed, a's'shown in Figs.- 9 and 10, whereby said tongue'may be readily bent, through the slot 28, between theelevated position shown in Figs. 4 and- 8' and the depressed position shown in Figs. 5', 6 and 7 When the outer rod 11 is of the flat type illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 8 and 9,1 the tongue 29 occupies the position shown in Figs. 4; and 8' wherein its free upper end forms a rear support or backing for the rod 11, the

latter resting on the bottom wall 23 and being laterallysupported at its face by the front wall 25 When the iix'tiueis supplied with a square rod, suchas 11 Fig. 5, the'tongue 29 is bent downwardly so that its-upper free end lies below the'seat, and the rod 11 rests on the bottom wall 23 and is confined laterally between the front wall 25 and the riser of the step 26;

When the fixture is equipped with a larger rectangular rod or pole such as shown at 11 in Fig. 7, the tongue 29 is als'o'bent down sufiiciently to allow the rod torest -on the step 26;

andwhen the fixture is equipped with a round rod or pole such as that shown at 11 in Fig. 6, the towns 291s alsodepressedsufficienuy to permit the pole to reston the front corner of the step -26;

It will be observed that with all of the four typesior'shapes of rod illustrated, the rod is not only supported at its lower edge, but is also supported laterally both at frontand rear, which prevents lateral bending or displacementof the central portion of the rod.

is supported at its-center from the arm17 by I means which readily permits the desired spacing of the rod'-*2relatively toboth the win'dow f'ra'me 15andtheouter rod 11. The means}? have herein show-n for'thispurpose .consists'of a sin'ipleheaded hook 30 that is passed" through alongitudinal slot 31*(Figl 9) in the arr'n 17, the rear portion of the slot 31 overlying the long gitud-ina slot" 21 of the shank member 16. Thiscon'struc'tion permits the'r'eady adjustment of-the rod-12towardor from theouter' rod 11' without disturbing the latter; and where longer end brackets are used, asshown'in'Fig 2, the center support of the outer'rod is readily adjusted to suit, by simply drawing out the arm 17 to the required extent. This does not interfere with the'subsequen't adjustment of the spacing of with it's attachment plate18 extending down wardly, as'shown'in' Fig. 4e. Where it may be desired to mount the rodsinlower positionon a level with or slightly below the top of thewindow, this may be accomplished, sofar as the'centersup'port i'sconce'rned, by simply inverting the shank member of thebracket, so that the attachment plate 1 8 extends upwardly, as shown in Fig. 8; This feature adapts the center bracket to use with end brackets located at varying heights, and does not requirethe'emp'loyni'ent of special center brackets" to obtain the low mounting of the nature illustrate'd in-Fig '8. Y

While I have herein illustrated and described one practical and efiicient means for securing the above result, I do not limit the invention to the structural details shown, but reserve all such variations, modifications and mechanical equivalents as fall within the spirit and purview of the claims.

I claim:

l. A curtain fixture center support, comprising a projecting shank attachable to a window frame, and a holder member on the forward end of said shank, said holder member form'edwith a concave seat adapted to support a round or square rod and with a pliable tongue adapted, when bent upwardly, to form a backing for a fiat curtain rod.

2. A curtain fixture center support, comprising a projecting shank attachable to a window frame, and a holder member on the forward end of said shank, said holder member formed with a slotted concave seat adapted to support a round or square rod and with an integral pliable tongue adapted, when bent up through said slot, to form a backing for a flat curtain rod.

3. A curtain fixture center support, comprising a projecting shank attachable toa window frame, and a rod holder member on the forward end of said shank, said holder member formed with front, rear and bottom walls, and with a step on said bottom wall, said step adapted to underlie and support a wide rod substantially fitting between said front and rear walls, and to form a backing fer a narrower rod resting on said bottom wall and fitting between said step and one of said front and rear walls.

l. A curtain fixture center support, comprising a projecting shank attachable to a window frame, and a rod holder member on the forward end of said shank, said holder member formed with front, rear and bottom walls, and with a step on said bottom wall at the base of said rear wall, said. step adapted to underlie and support a wide rod substantially fitting between said front and rear walls and to form a backing for a narrower rod resting on said bottom wall and fitting between said step and said front wall;

5. A curtain fixture center support, comprising a projecting shank attachable to a window frame, and a rod holder member on the forward end of said shank, said holder member formed with front, rear and bottom walls, and with a step on said bottom wall, said step adapted to underlie and support a wide rod substantially fitting between said front and rear Walls, and to form a backing for a narrower rod fitting between said step and one of said front and rear walls, said holder member being further equipped with a pliable tongue adapted to be bent between positions below and above said bottom wall, and when bent upwardly forming a backing for a flat curtain rod lying against said front wall. I v

6. A multiple curtain rod fixture center support, comprising a projecting bracket attachable to a window frame, an outer rod support on the outer end of said bracket, and

an inner rod support suspended from and adjustable lengthwise of said bracket.

7. A multiple curtain rod fixture center support, comprising a longitudinally slotted projecting bracket attachable to a window frame, a seat member for an outer rod on the outer end of said bracket, and an inner rod support comprising a headed hook member suspended through and adjustable lengthwise of the slot of said bracket.

8. A multiple curtain rod fixture center support, comprising a projecting shank attachable to a window frame, an arm mounted on and adjustable lengthwise of said shank and formed at its forward end with a seat for an outer rod, and a support for an inner rod suspended from andadjustable lengthwise of said arm..

9. A multiple curtain rod fixturecenter support, comprising a projecting shank attachable to a window frame, a longitudinally slotted arm telescopingly engaged with said shank and formed at its forward end with a seat for an outer rod, and an inner rod support comprising a headed hook member suspended through and adjustable lengthwise of the slot of said arm.

10. A curtain rod fixture center support, I

comprising an arm formed at its forward end with a rod seat, and a shank member with which said arm in the same position thereof may be telescopically engaged in either an upright or an inverted position of said shank member, said shank member having at its inner end a rectangularlyextended attachment plate, whereby said shank member may be attached to a window frame in either of two relatively inverted positions, to thereby vary the height of said rod seat relatively to the window frame.

11. A curtain rod fixture center support, comprising a flat arm formed at its forward end with a rod seat, and a flat shank member formed with inturned marginal portions with which said arm in the same position thereof may be telescopically engaged in either an upright or an inverted position of said shank member, said shank member having at its inner end a rectangularly extended attachment plate, whereby said shank member maybe attached to a window frame in either of two relatively inverted'positions, to thereby vary the height of said rod seat relatively to the window frame.

JAMES H. BOYE. 

